First Marriage Then Love - Chapter 71.2

071. The pig who threw away happiness (2) 



By the time An Ran had woken up again, the space beside her was empty. She lifts her arm and looks at the time. Unwittingly it was already 7 in the evening, and she had unexpectedly slept for 5 hours. She sits up in haste, looks around, but Su Yi Cheng’s figure was nowhere to be found.

An Ran knits her brows, not yet getting off the bed. She doesn’t know where he went, even the bathroom was empty. She walks to the door, but stops in front of it. She can hear Su Yi Cheng’s voice, and another man’s voice. It wasn’t Secretary Zheng, it was an unfamiliar one. She thinks it must be his friend.


“How’s the renovation going?” Sitting on the plastic chairs by the room, Su Yi Cheng begins to ask. 

“The soonest would be by next Friday.” Ye Zi Wen says. Looking at him, he gives him a punch, and hatefully says, “You, despicable fellow, owe me one. I used up all of my vacation time on you, even helped you keep an eye on the whole process, don’t you think my ancestors owe you, suddenly becoming brothers with you!” 

Su Yi Cheng laughs, and nods, “No problem.” 

Ye Zi Wen also laughs. Actually he was just only saying things. The two had grown up together, you can say that they grew up like family. The sentiments between them, were closer than even real brothers.

After smiling Ye Zi Wen looks at him. The smile on his face vanishes, and he grimly says, “Ling Ran still has such a big influence on you?” 

Su Yi Cheng looks around, looks at him, and serenely takes back his gaze. Then he serenely replies, “No.”

“If not then would you push yourself this way?” Ye Zi Wen sneers, not believing his words, “You said your stomach was like how back then? It’s been so long since it’s recurred, now that she’s back, you fell ill. Recklessly drinking, did you think your stomach was made of steel?” 

“You’re thinking too much.” Su Yi Cheng plays it down, “I just drank a bit too much with the planning department yesterday, it’s not like you don’t know how strict those fellows and their politics are, if you don’t drink, do you think I can return. It’s not like you don’t know how these dinner parties are, drinking is unavoidable.” 

“This is your excuse? I’ve never known you as a person who gives excuses.” Ye Zi Wen says coldly, clearly showing that he did not believe his nonsense. 

Su Yi Cheng looks at him, but no longer argues.

The two were silent, and only after a long time does Ye Zi Wen unhurriedly opens his mouth, “Why don’t I go find Ling Ran and talk to her.” 

“No need.” Su Yi Cheng declines. In fact, it doesn’t matter if they talk or not, it should be said that he’d said all there is that night. After all that’s said, she is just someone he knows, nothing else. 

Ye Zi Wen lets out a sigh. There’s nothing more to add to this topic. The two sit for a while more, when it seemed like Ye Zi Wen had thought of something, and asks, “Hey, what are you hiding in the room. Why don’t you let me in. A person who is visiting a patient, who in the world wouldn’t let them in the room?” 

Su Yi Cheng chuckles, turns to look at the door ajar. From inside one can see a silhouette of a person sprinkled by the light. The smile on his face becomes more obvious, then turns back, and only says to Ye Zi Wen, “Aren’t you supposed to head back now.” 

Ye Zi Wen gives him an odd look. This person is always like this, the more you don’t want him to know, the more he is interested in it. And so the Ye Zi Wen now is like so, “Today I absolutely want to take a look at the person you’re hiding inside.” Saying that he gets up to go into the room, but his hand was captured by Su Yi Cheng when he was about to open the door. 

Su Yi Cheng laughs and looks at him. His tone wasn’t quick nor slow nor cold nor warm, “Yi Jiao asked me for your other number, perhaps I should consider giving that number to her, after all she is my younger sister. I am closer to her.” 

Ye Zi Wen suddenly felt a cold shiver down his back, and pulls his hand back from the door that was almost opened. He coughs softly, and says, “Oh I just remembered that a client wanted to add a porch to the design, then, then I’m taking my leave.” He turns around, fixes his clothing and prepares to leave.

Su Yi Cheng chuckles, and says, “Ok. I’ve been quite busy these days too, I probably don’t have the time to see Yi Jiao.”

Ye Zi Wen nods, mutters something, then says, “Going now.” 

When Su Yi Cheng pushes the door open and goes into the room An Ran was sitting properly on the sofa, holding a magazine in her hand, browsing it, not noticing at all that she was holding it upside down. 

Su Yi Cheng saw that, but doesn’t reveal it. His smile becomes even more joyous, but he still deadpans and asks, “You’re up?”

An Ran nods carelessly, “Yeah.” Her eyes don’t dare to meet his. She isn’t certain if he knows that she was just eavesdropping by the door. Actually she did it unintentionally, really wasn’t intentional. The door wasn’t fully closed originally, and his volume wasn’t considered, ‘quiet’, moreover that time she was going to go out to look for him, so it was just a coincidence, that she overheard their conversation. 

“Hungry?” Su Yi Cheng asks. 

An Ran suddenly stands up, and says, “You must be hungry, I’ll go buy some food.” She couldn’t help but feel guilty. She slept like the dead, sleeping for a good few hours. It’s already 7 in the evening now, how is it possible for one not to be hungry. While thinking this, she goes to get her coat and bag.

“An Ran.” Su Yi Cheng calls out to her. He shakes his head helplessly, and points at the takeout box on the cabinet, and says, “When Zi Wen came I asked him to bring these up.” 

An Ran was embarrassed. She puts down her bag and coat, and in a small voice, says, “Is it the person you were talking to just then?” After she says this, she belatedly realizes that she had just willingly confessed. 

“Yeah.” Su Yi Cheng nods, neither questioning nor annoyed that she had eavesdropped. He promptly takes the takeout box and puts it down on the low table and arranges it one by one. He turns to look at An Ran and says, “Come quickly, it’s getting cold.”

An Ran answers and comes over. She sits down beside him. The food was mostly plain, mild. She takes a bite from the Chinese cabbage, and it was delicious. 

Su Yi Cheng holds his bowl on one hand and eats with his chopsticks. His table manners were very proper. He ate very quickly, but it was still refined, nothing about it was uncivilized. 

The atmosphere was very peaceful. An Ran fiddles with the food in her bowl, trying to find a topic to talk about, “Um, that friend of your’s and Yi jiao, they don’t get along?” Once she had heard that he would give his number to Yi Jiao, it seemed like his entire manner had changed. 

“Yi Jiao likes him.” Su Yi Cheng chuckles. Thinking about Zi Wen and Yi Jiao made him laugh and lightened his mood. Yi Jiao had always liked Zi Wen. As a child she loved to follow right behind him, but Zi Wen never got the mood. It’s not that he doesn’t like her, it’s just he’s always been avoiding her.

“He doesn’t like Yi Jiao?” An Ran was curious. Even though she hasn’t seen Yi Jiao all that often, but Su Yi jiao had always given her a good feeling. She was generous and adorable, how could there be a person who doesn’t like this kind of girl. 

Su Yi Cheng laughs, and adds a piece of meat onto An Ran’s bowl, only says, “You’ll understand later.” 

An Ran looks at him puzzled, but doesn’t ask any more. She lowers her head and eats the food that he had just given to her.

Su Yi Cheng had been in the hospital for two nights. After confirming that all his results were normal, the doctor allowed him to discharge. During this period of time some people had learned that Su Yi Cheng was in the hospital, many had called to say that they wanted to pay a visit, however Su Yi Cheng had declined all of them, only saying that it was just as a minor illness and there was no need to exaggerate it.

Because it was a matter of his health, Su Yi Cheng’s work was temporarily pushed back. When he had discharged from the hospital it so happened to be a weekend, and since An Ran’s blueprint was destroyed, she withdrew from the city hall construction project. Originally she was scheduled to take part in the bidding for the next two days but now it was unrelated to her. 

It was a hard to come by weekend, that the both of them had nothing to do, on the day that Su Yi Cheng was discharged. Qin Yun had called, and said that they should come to the compound this weekend, and that she had personally prepared some medicine for Su Yi Cheng to take.

The couple that that they really did not have anything to do, simply agreed. So they returned to the apartment to take a change of clothes, and carried some luggage as they were about to leave to set off to the compound.

An Ran wasn’t sure if there was someone who was deliberately waiting for them. Nevertheless, it was such a coincidence.

Right when the elevator doors opened, Ling Ran just so happened to be standing inside. She was wearing a one-piece rice-coloured chiffon dress, her long hair flowed over her shoulders. She wore a smile on her face. She looked ethereal.

An Ran was shocked. She couldn’t help but wonder if Ling Ran was spying on their every move. Otherwise, how could it be so coincidental that they meet every time.

Compared to An Ran’s astonishment, Su Yi Cheng seemed perfectly composed. He just nods at her, pulls on An Ran’s hand and walks into the elevator. 

In the elevator, Ling Ran took initiative to say, “What a coincidence. We meet again.”

Su Yi Cheng doesn’t say anything, and just looks at the unceasing number jump down. For the purpose of averting the awkward atmosphere, An Ran puts a smile on her face, and nods at her, “Right. Really coincidental.” 

With her sharp eyes Ling Ran caught sight of Su Yi Cheng carrying luggage, so she curiously asks, “Are you guys traveling?” 

An Ran was about to answer, when Su Yi Cheng interrupts, “Yeah. Going with out with An Ran for the weekend.” 

“Really.” Ling Ra’s tone darkened a bit. It seemed like her entire person wasn’t as angry as the latter. 

“Ding---!”

The silent elevator had reached the basement. Su Yi Cheng pulls An Ran towards his parked car. Ling Ran follows them out.

As if remembering something, behind them she calls out, “Where are you guys going to, it’s also been a long time since I’ve roamed. Why don’t we go together, if you don’t mind taking me along.”

An Ran was shocked, and unconsciously turns to look at Su Yi Cheng. She only sees Su Yi Cheng turn around. He was expressionless, and says, “We do mind. Miss Ling should go find someone else.” 

An Ran sees that Ling Ran’s expression stiffens, her entire body standing there foolishly. She stares at Su Yi Cheng. Her face, really looked hurt. 

Su Yi Cheng doesn’t spare a glance at her. He turns around and pulls An Ran towards the side of the car. He puts the luggage at the back, then opens the passenger door and lets An Ran get on. Then he goes around the head of the car and gets into the driver’s seat. Afterwards, he starts the car, slowly leaving the underground parkade. During this entire process, he hasn’t even turned his head to glance at Ling Ran. 

The car slowly heads towards the courtyard, within the car it was somewhat peaceful. Su Yi Cheng wasn’t driving all that fast, but it was steady. 

After a while, An Ran starts to say, “Why don’t I drive. You just got better, you should rest.” It’ll take an hour to get to Jun Qu courtyard. Such a long travel, it’ll always tire a person. 

Su Yi Cheng turns to look at her and laughs, and only says, “I’m not that delicate.” As he says that, one hand stays on the steering wheel, while the other takes An Ran’s hands. Holding it, he asks, “Must be bored, want to listen to music?”

An Ran shakes her head, and doesn’t let go of his hand. She was used to this wonderful thing. It hasn't been that long, yet she is already used to him holding her like this, used to his temperature. She turns her head and laughs at him, “Let’s turn on the news.” 

Su Yi Cheng nods, “Sure.” 

He reaches to turn on the radio. It was reporting on the city traffic, and the radio host sounded like Bo Xin Wen; old-fashioned yet meticulous. He changes to another channel, to one that was a happier program. The radio host used a humorous style to narrate a, frankly, not-so-funny, ordinary matter. It was very close to every day life, yet it was still hilarious throughout. Hearing of his embarrassment, it was a fact that everyone had gone through that trivial matter at least once in their life, and that cheered him up.

After the gag program was some sort of music program. Immediately after the broadcast a catchy pop-song started to play. An Ran had heard it a few times, and only felt that there was nothing special about it, still, however, oldies will still make people reminisce. 

The host was a woman. From the voice it was hard to tell how old, but her voice was coy and it made people feel greasy. The program had opened an SMS song and interactive platform. The first text came from a mother who wanted to do something for her baby. Today was her baby’s birthday, and she wished that everyday her baby would be healthy and happy. The host puts on a song called “Treasure”; its melody was elegant, and the singer’s voice was pleasant to hear. The song reverberates throughout the car. 

The next text came from a signature lonely, single consumer. She said that she really loved her ex, and because of a misunderstanding they had broken up. Now that she saw him again, he had already found a new lover. Furthermore she had just found out that she and her ex unexpectedly live in the same neighbourhood. Every time she sees them holding hands and laughing with each other, made it unbearably difficult for her. She is unable to wish them well, as she had always felt that that kind of happiness was supposed to be her’s, and it was because she wasn’t careful that she had lost that happiness.

The host was moved by the text, and when she was comforting the signature lonely single female, An Ran subconsciously turns to look at Su Yi Chen, and only sees that his expression was like before, not even the slightest amount of change, concentrating on the road in front of him, his hand still grasping her’s, his grip neither light nor heavy. The host presented the girl a song called, “The pig who threw away happiness”. Jiang Yu Yang’s voice was sad, the entire song hadn’t a hint of cheerfulness. It carried a drooping sadness. 



“I threw my own love away 

Who would have known this pain of my torn heart 

If the path of love can still be paved 

I won’t let you cry because of me

Now all that remains is this useless excuse 

The pig that threw away its own happiness” 



……. 



The song was coming to an end, and the car was slowly approaching Jun Qu compound. An Ran reaches out to turn off the radio. She sees that those red doors were standing straight and orderly in front of her, then she watches Su Yi Cheng park his car in the Su family compound. He turns his head and smiles at An Ran, and only says, “Let’s get off.” 

An Ran nods, but before she got off she couldn’t help but ask, “Back then, how did you guys fall out of love?”

 

 

---END OF CHAPTER---